“Is this the help you promised to supply?”
“In a manner of speaking, yes.” Tendaji moved to put out the fire he had only recently built. “Will you be escorting us back?”
“Not exactly. We’ve had to move.”
“Move? Why? What’s happened?” Tendaji was suddenly apprehensive as he turned his head too sharply to look at the other man. Torin glanced at Kaiya before spreading his hands.
“It is not my place to say. Amaenel will speak to you when we arrive. Just be aware that he will not be pleased that your supplied help is armed and unbridled. That was not your promise, General.”
Tendaji bristled. “I told everyone that any help I brought would be willing and unshackled. The Faoii need to be our allies, not our slaves.”
Torin’s face was not quite a smile and not quite a grimace. “Amaenel remembers your words differently. And has made sure that most of the others remember them differently, too. We only know that we need their help—it does not matter how we get it. He won’t be pleased."
Tendaji sighed, and his shoulders relaxed by a few degrees. He rolled his neck carefully. “Amaenel’s never pleased, anyway, but I thank you for the warning. You’ve always been a good friend, Torin.”
“I hope you can still say that when this is all over with.”
The light-skinned Croeli motioned the duo forward and began leading them through the forest in a different direction.
*~*
The encampment they eventually came to was haphazard and incomplete. Only a few temporary huts had been constructed, and those were built more out of hides and skins than of hardier wood and stone. The men who drifted around the camp did not try to hide their stares at the trio’s approach, and Kaiya in particular caught their gaze. Like dogs eyeing a bone, the Croeli were not aggressive so much as desirous, but to Kaiya that seemed even more unsettling. The Faoii followed her brother quickly, trying to ignore the ravenous stares that trailed her every step.
At the far side of the encampment, a hard, solitary figure stood, his face hidden by one of the brutal horned helms that the Croeli were known for. He seemed to bristle at Tendaji’s approach, but he saluted dutifully when addressed.
“Amaenel, report.” Tendaji’s voice was not kind.
The man’s piercing, vengeful eyes scrutinized Kaiya’s lithe frame from beneath the grotesque mask before he turned away from her and spoke rapidly into Tendaji’s ear. Tendaji’s face darkened considerably as he listened, and the masked man gesticulated violently as he spoke.
Minutes passed with a continuous stream of heated words from the horned Croeli. He was interrupted only by Tendaji’s infrequent and impassioned questions. Kaiya waited silently, not daring to disrespect her brother’s stature here by stepping closer.
Finally, she caught some of Tendaji’s words. “Has there been any information on the original? The one that refused us?” The masked man, Amaenel, shook his head.
“No. Stupid Faoii probably got herself killed. And now her mate’s been looking for an ill-spent vengeance. We’ll have to kill her.”
Kaiya perked her ears. Faoii? A Faoii had been here? Tendaji spoke before she could voice her uncertainty.
“That’s not necessary. Faoii-Kaiya is of the same Order. She’ll succeed where we have not. This is salvageable.”
The masked man let out a low growl. “Unlikely, but I guess you can try. You’re probably just going to get your Faoii pet killed too.” He gestured toward the forest with a drawn criukli. “There’s something wrong with that witch. She’s not going to let your kin live long enough to draw a blade, much less talk her down. My advice is to strike before she can do any more damage.”
“No!” Kaiya hadn’t realized that the cry was her own until it had already escaped. By then she was striding toward the masked Croeli, the air around her filling with an unbridled protectiveness and power. “I will not let you kill a Faoii!”
Amaenel turned on her, his eyes flashing from beneath his snarling mask. She held his gaze for an increasingly intense moment before he finally turned back to Tendaji, dismissing her as easily as one dismisses a stray dog.
“You let her speak for you too? You have fallen far, Tendaji. At least your uncle actually knows who the enemy is.”
Tendaji’s hand shot forward with devastating speed. His long, lithe fingers wrapped around the other man’s thick throat, nails buried deep into the skin. His right hand had already produced the fantoii, its tip less than a handspan away from his opponent’s abdomen. The fantoii song was quiet and terrifying in the sudden silence.
“You watch the words you say with me, Croeli-Amaenel-Tendaji. I am not above setting an example for those that will rise to take your place.” Amaenel only chuckled lightly under his breath.
“Maybe you’re still Croeli after all. But you’d best drop your name from my title. I’m only Croeli-Amaenel now.” He sneered as he looked back toward Kaiya, ignoring Tendaji’s hand and blade. “Go speak to your Faoii pet. There must be a reason you brought her here, and I know it’s not the reason that everyone thinks it is. Or any reason that a true Croeli would endanger the tribe. You want something.” He brought his eyes back to bore into Tendaji’s skull. “Get her to get rid of her bitch sister. Then we’ll talk."
“You do not give orders to me, Amaenel.”
“Suit yourself, General.” Amaenel spat the last word, stressing each syllable. “But you know that Thinir is getting stronger with every minute we waste. If you want to know how much stronger, you’re going to have to work with me.”
It took Tendaji an uncharacteristically long time to release his foe, but when he did, the other only laughed. “The chief’s hut is still technically yours. You may use it until someone more deserving settles in.”
Blue eyes blazing, Tendaji spun from the horned warrior and stalked away. Amaenel called after him. “While you’re there, you may want to teach her how to make the criukli poison. I’m sure she’d love to learn it straight from the source!” Tendaji tensed but kept walking, his pace brisk. Kaiya followed, seething silently, trying to process everything she’d heard. Tendaji had made the criukli poison? Could that be right? If he’d known about other Faoii, why hadn’t he said anything? What else did he know? Who else had been here? What else could he be hiding? And why? She wanted to believe that there was some reasonable explanation behind all of this, but her anger only increased as other people began calling out as they passed. These were not men that would follow the Tendaji she knew. Or thought she knew.
“God’s axe, boy! We didn’t think it was possible! A witch willing to help us? I thought the seas’d dry up before that happened!”
“When you’re on a mission, you never fail to provide, Tendaji. I bet the stupid witches never saw you coming.”
“Ignore Amaenel, Tendaji. He was never able to provide us a replacement like that!” Kaiya frowned. A replacement? For what?
“She might be a witch, but if she can take down that other one, maybe she’d be worth keeping around in chains.” She could feel their hatred for her rolling off them in waves. They expect me to kill my own sister. What kind of promises has Tendaji made to these men who have such bloodlust in their hearts?
“Would you look at that! She certainly looks better than that first one. Can she fight, too?”
“Always a step ahead of the enemy, my boy. Always a step ahead.”
Kaiya seethed but bit her tongue while the surrounding men talked about her like a battle trophy. Finally, Tendaji led her to one of the huts set up near the edge of the clearing. It was larger than the others and sturdily built. A tapestry of an amber-eyed wolf hung over the door, staring impassively at the approaching siblings. Tendaji lifted the rug and motioned her through.
They had barely made it past the tapestry when Kaiya’s control broke and she gave voice to her uncertainty. “What the blades is going on, Tendaji? Are these really the type of men you would willingly associate with? The hatred out there—I’ve never felt anything li
ke it.” Before he could respond, she gave voice to a deeper hurt and stalked towards him, jamming a finger into his chest.
“And you’ve been lying to me! You knew there were Faoii left in this area, and you never said a blade-blessed thing! And the criukli poison? That was you?” She swept her arm, indicating the room and the surrounding camp. “No one that truly cared about the Faoii would be part of this rabble.”
She angrily blinked back tears. “Find a replacement. ‘Find a replacement,’ everyone keeps saying. What replacement, Tendaji? How many other Faoii have come here? What have these people been doing to them?” Her voice rose in pitch. “And you let them believe I’d kill another Faoii? One of my sisters? You’d ask me to do anything for these bastards, after the criukli poison? After they . . . you . . .” She choked on the words, her eyes stinging as she pressed her finger harder against his chest. “You kept things from me. Why?”
Slowly, deliberately, Tendaji grasped her wrist with one hand. She tried to pull away but couldn’t and at last forced herself to meet his gaze.
“Kai, I know you’re angry. I know that this is a lot to process, but I need you to hear me. I did not do any of this to cause you harm. I would never betray you. I did the only thing I knew how to do in order to protect you and myself and my people. Blades, even your people!” His eyes sparked, then softened. Kaiya let go of some of the tension in her shoulders, and Tendaji relinquished his hold on her wrist. “I know what you think of the criukli poison. You’ve seen the agony it causes—the fevers and the slow, painful deaths. It is vile, Kaiya, but I need you to know that it was supposed to be something better.” He sighed, rolling his neck wearily.
“When Thinir first started his rise to power, his ability to control the minds of his followers was imperfect. He had to cut them with his own blade to start the process. We thought it was some sort of poison. We thought we could create an antidote. We succeeded, in the end, but not in the way we’d hoped. The criukli poison is imperfect, but it’s effective. And more importantly, it’s all we have. If we want to fight Thinir, we have to do whatever we can or fall under his control. It’s the only way to drown him out. The only way to keep those wounded in battle from rising again and joining his side. As horrible as it is, it is necessary. You must understand this.”
Kaiya frowned. “It’s such a high price to pay, Tendaji. The suffering those girls endured as they struggled to make it back to Eili. The ones in Lyn’s monastery . . . You might have been trying to help, but you’ve traded slavery for torture. So much blood is on your hands.”
“Damn it, Kai! Don’t you think I know that? But they heard the bells! Without the poison, those girls would be in Thinir’s army now. He would have made it into their minds, and they would have sworn themselves to his banner. Worse yet, he would have had you by now if our criukli hadn’t burned him away! As horrible as it is, the criukli poison is the only answer we have!”
Tendaji again forced himself to calm down. With a deep breath, he continued in lower tones. “Our father believed there was a way for us to live in peace, and I’ll be damned if I’m not going to do everything in my power to achieve that goal in his memory. If that meant keeping a secret from you for a time, knowing that I could tell you eventually, then so be it. I knew you wouldn’t listen to me if I tried to explain first. You had to understand.”
He gestured to the door. “These are the last of those that were loyal to our father. Loyal to me. They have escaped our uncle’s influence and despise him for what he’s done to the Croeli peo- ple. As much as they hate your kind, the hate him more, so they will work with us if we can show them that you and your army are worthy of their respect. Right now they’re preparing to face Thinir in battle, but don’t be misled. If the end comes and all that is left is to die by their own poisoned blades so that they won’t be his unwilling slaves for a lifetime, then that’s what they’ll do. There isn’t any other choice.” He held her gaze for a moment longer, his eyes intense. “You have to understand.”
After a moment, Kaiya met his gaze with soft eyes. “You could have told me, Tendaji. I would have listened.”
He chuckled. “Would you? Would you have trusted me if I told you that I was still a Croeli clan leader? If I had told you that my men, under my guidance, created the criukli poison? If I had acted anything like my men outside, with hatred in my heart and blood on my mind, would you have ever given me a chance?”
“I . . . I don’t know.”
Tendaji’s voice softened as he cupped her chin in one hand. “Yes you do, Kaiya. You barely trusted me when we first met, and you would have killed me immediately if you hadn’t thought that you were the last Faoii in existence. Now, after all we’ve been through, I need you to trust me for a little longer.”
Kai took a deep breath and nodded. “I do trust you, Tendaji. And I’ll follow your lead here. But those men outside—they’re different. I don’t know if our two armies could ever actually trust each other. I don’t know if we can ever be true allies.”
“And someday we will remedy that, but for now we need to remember that even if our methods are different, our immediate goal is the same.”
“To stop Thinir. I think I could maybe work with them long enough to see that through.”
Tendaji smiled brightly at her. “Thank you, Kaiya.”
They stood in contemplative silence before Kaiya spoke again.
"I still have questions, though, Tendaji.”
“I know. Where would you like to start?”
“With the part that makes this trip worthwhile. What do I have to do before these people will give us the information they have? Before they might choose to fight alongside Faoii?” Her eyes narrowed again. “And Tendaji, know now that your answer had better not include me killing one of my sisters.”
Tendaji nodded and motioned her to sit on one of the simple camp chairs that sat to one side of the hut. He pulled up a second so that it sat across from her.
“Amaenel says there’s a Faoii somewhere nearby, screaming about her shield sister being stolen. She is more powerful than she should be, and she’s able to move like Thinir’s forces do. That makes us nervous. It’s possible that this Faoii has allied herself with Thinir but blames us for her sister’s disappearance.”
Kaiya was surprised at how quickly Tendaji switched back into using “we” when describing the Croeli. It was almost like he’d never left the camp.
“Why does she think that your men kidnapped her shield sister?”
“I don’t know. Another Faoii did come through here shortly before I went to Clearwall. We had sent her a tentative offer beforehand, and we thought there might be a chance of forming an alliance. She had been unwilling to help us, though, and we sent her on her way. We were not allies, but we didn’t part as enemies either.” He paused, thinking back. “I never met this new woman. The girl we met—Faoii-Vonda, I think her name was—said at the time that her shield sister did not trust us enough to negotiate, and she had come alone. Apparently her shield mate’s opinion has
not changed.”
“Negotiations? You tried to get help from another Faoii? Is that what those men meant when they asked if I was the replacement?”
“Yes. But you’re not,” he said adamantly. “That plan wouldn’t have worked anyway.”
Kaiya frowned but didn’t push. “So I need to talk down an enraged shield sister. You expect me to do what your entire tribe couldn’t?”
“Amaenel doesn’t think you’ll be useful at all, but he’s nothing if not an opportunist. There’s a chance that you can talk her down, and he’s willing to let you try.”
Kaiya didn’t point out that pitting one Faoii against another meant that at least one of Amaenel’s enemies would fall without him having to sacrifice any of his own people. Tendaji must have recognized it too, but didn’t say anything as he continued. “She’s gained an almost ghostly reputation, even among our kind. That’s why they want you to kill her so badly. They’re afraid of her. But if
you can talk her down instead, convert her to our cause, the men will respect you.” He lowered his voice. “Maybe even more than they do Amaenel.”
Kaiya nodded. “That’s our best chance. I’m sure she’ll listen to Illindria’s reason.” She met Tendaji’s gaze, content with what he’d had to say so far. “How do we meet with her?” Tendaji stood and began to pace, an action that Kaiya had never seen before. She wondered whether it was something that he normally did when he was alone.
The Last Faoii Page 20